Thoughts and questions regarding just about everything while taking a daily stroll with my dog.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

To Thine Own Self Be True - Unless You're President

Well, here we go. Term 2. Unless you're a die hard liberal there was nothing encouraging in yesterday's inaugural speech nor do I expect anything in the upcoming State of the Union.

As usual I'm trying to understand. Let me say I have no doubt what so ever that the President believes he is right about what does and does not ail our country and how or how not to fix it. Any one who disagrees is wrong. To make sure they understand that he bullies them or is contemptuous or dismissive of them. Even if he were divinely right he certainly hasn't chosen a Divine way to show it.

But he's not and he's not willing to go there. He won. Well, yes, he did. He won election to be the President of the United States, not merely the Democratic party. And his win was by no means unanimous.

Many people of my generation have a problem with his style. What ever happened to common courtesy? What ever happened to listening to other points of view? He isn't alone with those issues. Take the Tea Party types within the Republican Party who will not budge from a stand. They are just as much to blame for stalemate, but no more so than the President and the Democrats.

I look at the leadership outside the White House and it too puzzles me for most are closer to my age than they are that of the President's. Why won't Harry Reid bring Republican legislation to the floor of the Senate? Why is Nancy Pelosi holding House minority leadership? Why is Joe Biden allowed to even open his mouth? Are they really that like the younger in your face set? Or is it just misplaced party loyalty run amok? Most in my generation were taught better manners and had a modicum of reason. Of course we were actually taught manners and taught, period.

Those who are 'tweens' like Boehner are caught between the old school and the new and haven't yet figured out a way to bring them together. I do hope they do.

I believe a president is elected to lead the country where the people want it to go, not where he alone wants. I believe the people want us to be the leader of the free world and stand by our allies, not charge them to help in the most minuscule of ways if at all. I believe the country wants our money to be spent wisely, not on personal whims. I believe the people want both sides of the aisle to discuss our common problems in a civilized manner and determine solutions that take the best ideas from each and form reasonable legislation. That's called negotiating and compromise. Words that have languished of late.

I believe the people want the president to have more concern for them than special interest groups. I believe they want him to acknowledge we do have a spending problem and that no amount of taxation is going to cure it.

I do not believe the people want the President to turn our nation into his vision without our consent. Do we understand that is exactly what he is and wants to continue doing?